The Voice of Iowa Business

February 09, 2017

Legislative News

REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Iowa Business Day on the Hill

With many pro-business pieces of legislation pending, ABI members will have plenty to talk about with their legislators during Iowa Business Day on the Hill, which will take place Tuesday, March 14. The event is free to ABI members, though registration is requested and space is limited for this popular event. ABI has partnered with the National Federation of Independent Business for the past two years to put on this event, and this year the Iowa Chamber Alliance is also joining the effort. The Iowa Chamber Alliance will have its annual legislative reception on Monday, March 13 in conjunction with Iowa Business Day on the Hill. Click here to register for the March 13 reception and here for Iowa Business Day on the Hill.

Still time to join our Legislative Update Teleconference on Friday

If you haven't already responded to participate in the monthly exclusive members-only ABI Legislative Update Teleconference, please do so today! Members of the ABI public policy team will provide you with an update on the latest activity at the Capitol at 8 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 10. Michelle will send out the call-in information later today. To RSVP after this newsletter is published, please contact Brad Hartkopf, [email protected] . There are many items to cover and we will answer questions you have about pending legislation.

Collective bargaining reform introduced

The Iowa Legislature on Tuesday introduced bills ( SF 213 and HSB 84) that would reform how public employees bargain in the state of Iowa. The legislation makes many changes to laws governing collective bargaining for wages, healthcare and other benefits for public employees and school teachers. It mostly excludes public safety professionals from the bill. The House Labor Committee passed the bill on Wednesday evening. The Senate Labor Committee is scheduled to take up the legislation today at 1:30 p.m. ABI is supporting the bill as part of our Streamline Government policy. Keep reading...

Wage preemption bill introduced

A House subcommittee considered a preemption bill, HSB92, that would stop local governments from creating a patchwork of minimum wage, benefits and hiring practices through the passage of local ordinances. In the subcommittee, ABI voiced its support for the portions of the bill that would ensure a statewide policy on wages, benefits and hiring practices because they create clarity for businesses. The bill is to be considered by the House Local Government Committee this afternoon.

The bill also preempts other types of local government ordinances. Several Iowa counties have recently passed their own version of local minimum wage increases. Because of home rule, cities can individually opt out of these wage requirements. The bill would make these ordinances unenforceable. The bill will receive a new number and move to the House floor. Staff contact: Jessica Harder

Workforce discussed at Capitol

This week, workforce was a topic of discussion in several meetings. The Economic Growth Committee in the House heard from Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend.

She gave a general overview of the department and their 2017 legislative priorities. Townsend noted that wait times for callers concerning unemployment was down tremendously in 2016 compared to 2014 and 2015. She also highlighted Future Ready Iowa, adding that one of the primary goals of the initiative is to have 70 percent of Iowa's workforce either have post-secondary education, training or a credential of value by 2025.

Keep reading...

Computer science bill advances

Members of a Senate subcommittee heard Tuesday from the governor's office on SSB1047. The bill encourages school districts to establish a computer science program. The goal is to expose students to opportunities, especially since so many jobs in the workforce involve computers. Some legislators had questions as to whether or not this was a mandate or whether there could be a public/private partnership to find the resources necessary to fund the program. The bill advanced out of the subcommittee and heads to the Senate Education Committee.

ABI Position: For

Staff Contact: Brad Hartkopf

Other pending legislation

HSB88: Relates to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. A subcommittee was held on Thursday where many interested parties spoke about the bill.The intent of the legislation is to address the changes in drone technology since the last bill the Legislature considered a few years ago. Rep. Jarad Klein (R-Keota), who chaired the subcommittee, listened to the many concerns and said that he wanted to work with everyone to make sure the legislature gets this right.
ABI position: Undecided
Staff Contact: Nicole Crain/ Brad Hartkopf

SF165: Allows companies who manufacture products in Iowa the opportunity to competitively bid for contracts from state agencies and departments. Currently, a department or agency must receive a waiver from the Director of the Department of Corrections in order to buy outside of Iowa Prison Industries. A subcommittee on SF165 took place Wednesday. The bill was approved 2-1. There is a similar bill, HSB49, that was voted on and approved by the House State Government committee on Tuesday.
ABI Position: For
Staff contact: Brad Hartkopf

HF231: Requires an apprentice to be a resident of Iowa in order for the company to obtain financial assistance awards from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The bill was debated in the House on Thursday and passed 95-0. There is a similar bill, SF180, that has passed the full Senate State Government Committee.
ABI Position: For
Staff Contact: Brad Hartkopf

HSB89: Mandates that employers and insurance providers provide health care coverage for abuse deterrent opioid drug products. There was a subcommittee held on Wednesday concerning this bill. No one spoke in favor of this legislation. The bill did not advance in its current form.
ABI Position: Against
Staff Contact: Brad Hartkopf

Federal Spotlight: Survey shows 83 percent of employees found employer voting info helpful

New survey results from BIPAC, ABI's national partner on get out the vote efforts, found that more than four out of five employees - 83 percent - surveyed found information provided by their employers helpful in deciding how to vote in the 2016 Election. The results of the survey, which was conducted Nov. 9-10, 2016 and included more than 1,700 employed adults who participated in the general election, are similar to those of years past. Keep reading for more highlights from the survey.

From the Desk of...

The 10 C's of Employee Engagement

Erin Green

Director of Business Development

Aureon HR

Only 32 percent of employees are considered engaged at their job, according to Gallup. Everyone else is either not engaged (50.8 percent) or actively disengaged (17.2 percent). It can be hard to determine if your employees are engaged or not, and even more difficult to figure out how to help employees become engaged in their work. That's why we've come up with the 10 C's of employee engagement - to help you implement some practices in your organization that will encourage employees to contribute their talents on a daily basis. Not only will these practices help engage employees, they will also make you a more effective leader.

Connect: Leaders must show that they value their employees. Employee engagement is a direct reflection of how employees feel about their relationship with their boss.
Career: Work on providing challenging and meaningful work with opportunities for career advancement. Most people want to continue to grow and do new things in their jobs.
Clarity: Make sure to communicate a clear vision. Employees need to understand what the organization's goals are, why they are important, and how the goals can best be attained.
Convey: Leaders clarify their expectations about employees and provide feedback on their functioning within the organization.
Congratulate: Employees need to understand how they add value to the organization. Leaders need to recognize when employees do a great job and seek out opportunities, and make sure to congratulate them. Keep reading...